Chapter 9

Finally, he had successfully created a portal to enter the real world. He couldn't tell how far back he travelled into the past or how long he was in the Ghost Zone but he figured it was long enough. He wondered what to destroy next but then he remembered his stealthier plan. He figured to head to Wisconsin and give Vlad a big surprise but also see if Vlad knew anything about the female Phantom and as an evil ghost with some shapeshifting abilities he transformed into the younger Danny Phantom before he turned evil. He could hardly believe that he was once this short and scrawny and lost to his past half ghost self. After that he followed flew off to find a highway or settlement in order to know where he was and what was the year. It didn't take long for him to find out that he was near a highway and the border that led to Wisconsin. It was almost certainly going his way for a change and he figured to check on the cheesehead.

It didn't take long for the disguised Dark Danny to arrive at the former residence however once he got there, he noticed that the more recent place that Vlad lived in was just a hill of ruble. Clearly something happened during this time period after the younger/present Danny was able to defeat him. He growled hissed in frustration but it was over yet, it was just getting interesting. He then considered his options and remembered the lodge in Colorado and a few other hidden/secret locations. He also figured that he could try Amity Park but that it was likely a ghost town by now (no pun intended). He really wanted to know who the female Phantom was and where (and even when) she came from. So he decided to seek out Vlad and if Vlad didn't know anything about her, he would continue on his rampage.

Meanwhile in back in Amity Park, Vlad was ready to confront Danny on why his family abandoned Amity Park without giving a warning. Surely they must have known that Amity Park was going to face a ghost invasion otherwise they wouldn't have taken all of their equipment at once and left too. He was able to fight off a few pestering ghosts without much effort. However he needed to warn the city about the incoming ghosts and get backup. Valerie had come with him needing to summon her. Then he was dealt with a double whammy when he saw that the news was abuzz about a female Danny Phantom who even sported the same symbol as the clone he created. It couldn't be her, could it? Was all he could think because she had a different outfit and was older than the clone he created?

Then Vlad was given quite the surprise when the live footage also showed the both of them seem to be using the duplication power because there was at least a pair of each. How they learned that was unknown to him but he was certain that older female Phantom had something to do with it. She might even be mentoring Danny and putting him on the fast track to becoming a powerful and competent rival.

Meanwhile Dark Danny arrived at his old residence that his human family lived in for years before they died. To his annoyance the home had been stripped of the vast majority of the technology from what he could see from the outside. He wanted so badly to burst in and trash the place but he couldn't because a ghost shield was blocking him. Dark Phantom could've used his ghostly wail but he chose against it because he might want to return to this place intact to investigate if needed. He also couldn't believe that Vlad was now the mayor of Amity Park and thus had moved there. He couldn't believe how long he was in that prison.

Dark Danny resisted the temptation to fire at fleeing and frighten citizens because he wanted to pull some fast ones on the Dani Phantom of the future and the current Danny Phantom. It didn't take long for him to find the mayor's new residence and face him. Because Dark Danny had some shapeshifting powers he was able to come in under the guise of his younger past hybrid self (although he was all ghost).

"Well, well, well young Daniel. You sure have a lot of nerve coming in here rather than protect the town that elected me. Is this the real you or did you send a duplicate to do your bidding?" Vlad hissed.

"This is the real me believe it or not, and who is that female imposter?" the disguised Danny asked his old foe.

"I was about to ask you the same question young man. At first I thought she was Danielle but she's too old and has a different outfit." Vlad explained.

"Who is that Danielle? What makes you think that?" the evil ghost inquired.

"Seriously Daniel, have you become as idiotic and forgetful as your father? Or did you hit your head just before you arrived here? You and Valerie interrupted my plans to study her and you used some sort of device to revive and restore her original form while stabilizing and strengthening her. I almost seriously regret using you as a subject. Seriously don't you remember when the both of you destroyed my prized project…The primary clone? He was almost done too. All he needed was the proper mid morph sample and he would have been the perfect human-ghost hybrid. But you and that reject female hybrid destroyed him during your escape. She even took on the title of Dani Phantom, with an 'i'." Vlad explained in quick but great detail.

The disguised Dark Phantom's jaw dropped, his eyes, just stared, and face went blank. Was this the information he was seeking? Was Vlad serious of it all or was he just joking.

"Well Little Badger, you sure do a great display of the deer in headlights look. I guess the bad apple doesn't fall from a lousy tree, the one that is long overdue for some pruning or being culled." Vlad chuckled wickedly while stroking his cat Maddie who seemed to sense something different about this ghost.

He was still frozen from all the information Vlad revealed. If he was of a subdued earth tone, he could be mistaken for a statue.

"Well aren't you going to do something about those imposters Danny? Do you not recognize them?" Vlad snickered some more. He used to be afraid and worried that Danny would one day overtake him because of all the spying Vlad did on the Fentons revealed that Danny was learning at an accelerated rate and didn't have the health problems Vlad dealt with while in college after the accident. Plus Danny developed a couple of major powers that Vlad didn't have. It appeared that Danny seemed to have regressed in some way which was a welcome invitation for Vlad to challenge and exploit.

"By the way, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" Vlad demanded.

"Just catching up on information I missed out on. Thanks you Cheesehead. You're an even bigger fruitloop than I thought." The fake Danny replied in a smirk and a sarcastic tone to go with it.

Vlad returned the demeaning comment by firing an ecto-blast. It was one thing to be bold enough to enter Vlad's property while the city was being overrun with ghosts and without permission or being captured, but Danny was clearly brazen enough to call him a fruitloop. To Vlad's surprise, Danny caught the blast, added his own signature energy to it, then redirected and fired it back at Vlad and his cat Maddie with even greater force. The blast hit Vlad in the face, arms, shoulders, and mid to upper chest knocking him over and sending his cat yowling and screeching in pain and fright. This counter attack only enraged Vlad even more.

"Well Daniel if you just wanted a fight you could have just asked for one!" Vlad bellowed at him coldly and in clear pain. He then transformed into his vampire-like ghost-self Vlad Plasmius. He made duplicates of himself and tried to throw an ecto net at what he thought was the younger ghost hybrid but used another counter construct to not only knock it away but to trap all the Vlads instead and force them into becoming one being again. Vlad struggled and had managed to get free but not without being tackled and given a ghostly zap. Then Vlad was wrapped in ghostly constructs that looked like glowing ropes or cords made of ectoplasm. This ghost couldn't be Danny because Danny was still an amateur even though he had some serious powers that he could use competently, but he couldn't do that or overwhelm a far more experienced ghost hybrid that easily, quickly, or without any special device or weapon.

"Who are you really?" Vlad asked the ghost in a demanding tone although he was now scared for his own safety (including his human life) and regretted for not taking the warnings seriously. It dawned on him, most likely what he thought was Danny was most likely the imposter and the dangerous ghost that the Fentons had warned about. If he could defeat Vlad himself that easily, then he could take out the real Danny without any real effort and possibly the other Phantom that looked like she was anywhere from her late teens to her early twenties.

"You'll find out eventually but not now. I will be back for you later." The enemy replied and gave an evil laugh and grin that outdid what even Vlad could do. Vlad watched in awe and shock once his enemy created a swirling vortex that turned out to be a portal to the Ghost Zone. At first he thought it was going to be some new and devastating attack, but it wasn't. It was theorized by a few that some ghosts might be capable of producing their own portals. Then the imposter Danny tossed the tied up Vlad into the Ghost Zone to float there and be immobilized for a future time.

After that he sought for and found something he meant to do during his timeline; find Vlad's portal and destroy it which he did once he found it. However, now he had to deal destroying the Fentons' ghost portal. He also suspected that there might be more. Still, Dark Danny worried that his old home might be booby-trapped. Now he had to deal with two Danny Phantoms. Even better he could take on the role and guise of Vlad now the mayor and work this to his advantage.